Internal-combustion engine



S. M. HALTON. INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE. APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2', 1920.

Patented Jan. 24, 1922.

zer W UNITED STATES STEPHEN MARY HALTON, OF DUBLIN, IRELAND.

INTERNAL-GOMBUSTION ENGINE.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Jan. 24;, 1922.

Application filed November 8, 1920. Serial No. 422,728.

To all whom it may concerns Be it known that I, STEPHEN MARY HAL- TON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Dublin, Ireland, have invented certain useful Improvements in Internal- Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to means for varying the compression in internal combustion engines, the object being to enable the adjustment to take place in a simple and efiicient manner, and the invention consists in means whereby the end positions of the piston or pistons relative to the cylinder or cylinders can be adjusted and thereby the amount of compression space available above the engine piston or pistons for compression of the working charge can be varied.

The invention also consists in the provi sion of means adapted to adjust the position of the engine crank shaft bodily towards or away from the engine cylinder or cylinders and thereby reduce or increase the compression space available in the cylinder or cylinders.

I attain the hereinbefore named and other objects by the means illustrated in the accompanying sheet of drawings, and hereinafter described and claimed. In the drawing- Figure 1 is a detached sectional side view of the crankcase and piston of an internal combustion engine.

Fi ure 2 is a horizontal section on line A- of Figure 1.

Like numerals of reference refer to similar parts throughout both figures.

Referring to the drawing which illus trates one construction of my invention as applied to a four-stroke single cylinder engine, 1 is the crank casing in which arms 2, 2 are oscillatably mounted on a shaft 3 parallel with the crank shaft 4. The crank shaft 4 is rotatably mounted in the two arms 2, and slots5 are provided in the casing for the ends of the crank shaft to project through. The crank shaft 1 and the piston 6 connected thereto by the rod 7 can therefore be raised or lowered by raising or lowering the arms 2 about their pivotal centre. By this means the end position reached by the piston at the end of its compression stroke can be varied and the available compression space remaining in the cylinder at the end of the compression stroke can be thereby adjusted, to vary the compression of the charge.

A suitable method of simultaneously varying the position of the arms 2 consists in forming in the free end of each arm 2 an open ended slot 8 and in vertically mounting two screw-threaded spindles 9 in the crank casing 1, two nuts 10 connected together by a cylindrical tie rod 11 being screwed onto the spindles and serving to move the arms 2 by engagement of their tie rod 11 with bearing blocks 12 sliding in the slots 8, Worm wheels 13 are secured to the spindles 9 and gear with worms 11 1 provided on a shaft 15 rotatably mounted in the crank casing 1. The shaft is provided with a hand wheel 16 or connected by suitable shafting and gearing to a hand wheel situated in a convenient place for operation.

In order to simultaneously and auto matically adjust the timing of the valves, if such are provided on the engine, the shaft 3 may be provided with a timing cam 17 adapted to actuate a rod 18 which operates the valves, the arms 2 being arranged free to oscillate on the shaft 3. This shaft is geared to the crank shaft f by toothed gear wheels 19 and 20 and is rotated thereby. If the arms 2 are lowered to reduce the compression, the shaft 3 is turned by the gearing 19 and 20, the direction of angular displacement of the shaft 3 relative to the crank shaft 1 being such that the timing of the valves is retarded. If the arms 2 are raised to increase compression, the shaft will be angularly displaced in the opposite direction and the timing of the valves will be advanced.

it will be appreciated that the timing cam may be arranged on any other suitable shaft in lieu of on the shaft 3, for example on a shaft at an angle to the crank shaft 4, and be connected up to'the shaft 3 by suitable gearing in order to obtain automechanism in said crank case opcratively connected to said armsto raise and lower said arms; and slots in said crank case through which the crank shaft projects, adapt-cdto permit bodily(displacement of the crank shaft relative to the crank case.

2. In an internal combustion engine, a

uorkino' c linder' a workin oiston therein a: a a 1 7 acrank shaft operatively connected to said working piston; angularly ad ustable arms oscillatablv mounted on the engine and car- 7 rying the crank shaft bodily; a valve timing shaft operatively connected to said arms; and driving means connecting said shaft to the crank shaft whereby angular adjustment of the arms to Vary the end pos tions of the piston simultaneously and aut omatically varies the timing of saidvalve timing shaft to suit the variation in com pression. V

3. In an internal combustion engine, a crank shaft; angularly adjustable and oscillatable arms mounted on the engine; crank shaft bearings formed on said arms;

a valve timing shaft on the engine; driving means between said shaft and the crank shaft; an ignition magneto on the engine and driving means between said valve timing shaft and the magneto, whereby the timin of the ignition is simultaneously and automatically adjusted to suit a Variation in compression due to adjustment of said arms on their axis of oscillation.

4. In an internal combustion engine, a Working cylinder a controlyalve 011 said cylinder; a Working piston therein; acasnip; atone end of the working cylinder; a

pair-of arms 'oscillatably mounted inside said casing; a crank shaft carried by said pair of arms and connected to the Working piston; a screw and nut device connected to IV said pair of arms and adapted to adjust their angular position on their axis and to thereby move the crank shaft and piston bodily in relation to the working cylinder and said casing; a shaft mounted on said casing coincident with the axis of said pair of arms; a valve cam on saidshaft adapted to govern said control valve; toothed gears on the cam shaftand crank shaft gearing said shafts together; an ignition magneto for igniting the mixture in the Working cylinder; gearing between said cam shaft and the magneto operatively connecting the two together; all for the hereinbefore specified purposes. Y

Signed at Dublin, Ireland, this 21st day of October, 1920.

V STEPHEN; MARY HALTON. lVitnesses:

A NIE-D. Jonas, PoLLIn DAVIS. 

